The light faded outside, but Mum still wasn’t home. Emily spun the small wheels of her wheelchair towards the table, grabbed her mobile, and dialled Mum’s number.
“The person you are calling is unavailable,” announced a cold, automated voice.
The girl stared at the phone in confusion, then switched it off, remembering the low credit.
Mum had gone shopping and hadn’t returned. She never stayed out this long, not with Emily confined to her wheelchair since birth. There were no other family members. At seven, Emily wasn’t scared of being alone, but Mum always said where she was going and when she’d be back. Confusion knotted Emily’s stomach.
“She went to that cheaper supermarket further out,” Emily murmured, glancing at the clock. “We go together sometimes. Takes an hour tops, both ways… It’s been four hours. I’m hungry.” She wheeled into the kitchen, boiled the kettle, took a fish finger from the fridge. Ate. Drank tea.
Still no Mum. Her hands trembled as she snatched the phone again.
“The person you are calling is unavailable,” the voice repeated, harsh and empty.
She moved onto her bed, tucking the phone under her pillow. She left the light blazing; the darkness felt terrifying without Mum.
Lying awake for ages, she finally drifted off.
***
Sunlight streamed through the window, waking her. Mum’s bed was neatly made.
“Mum!” Emily called towards the hallway.
Silence answered. She grabbed the phone, dialled. The same metallic voice responded. Fear flooded her, tears spilling hot down her cheeks.
***
Thomas was walking back from the patisserie where he bought fresh pastries each morning. It was their ritual: Mum made breakfast while he fetched the buns. Thirty now, Thomas remained unmarried. Women never seemed to notice the thin, awkward programmer plagued by health problems since birth. Expensive treatments had been needed, but Mum raised him alone. The final diagnosis, confirming he couldn’t father children, sealed his acceptance of solitude.
A cracked, old mobile glinted in the grass. Phones and computers were his trade and passion – both a tech blogger and programmer. He owned the latest models, but professional curiosity made him pick this broken thing up. It looked as if a car had run over it and flung it aside. “Trouble?” The thought flickered. He pocketed the wreckage. “Sort it at home.”
***
After breakfast, he extracted the SIM card and slotted it into one of his own phones. The contacts were mostly hospitals, pensions services… but the first entry was labelled ‘Daughter’.
Hesitating only a moment, he dialled the number.
“Mum!” A child’s voice, bright with relief, answered.
“I’m… not your Mum,” Thomas stammered.
“Where’s Mummy?”
“I don’t know. I found a broken phone, switched the SIM, and called.”
“My Mummy’s vanished!” The voice dissolved into sobs. “She went to the shop yesterday and never came back.”
“Your Dad? Grandparents?”
“No Dad. No Grandma. Just Mum.” The sobs deepened.
“What’s your name?” Thomas knew he had to help.
“Emily.”
“I’m Thomas. Uncle Tom. Emily, can you go out and ask neighbours? Tell them you’re alone.”
“I can’t go out. My legs don’t work. And the flat next door’s empty.”
“Wait, how d’you mean they don’t work?” Thomas’s confusion deepened.
“Born like this. Mum says we need to save up for an operation.”
“How do you get around?”
“Wheelchair.”
“Emily, do you know your address?” Thomas needed facts.
“Yes, Seven Tottenham Court Road, Flat Eighteen. Please find Mummy.”
“I’ll come now. We’ll find her.”
He ended the call. Evelyn entered his room. “Tom? What’s happened?”
“Mum, I found a broken phone. Put the SIM in mine. Called. A little girl’s alone – disabled. No other family.” He took a breath. “Got her address. I’m going.”
“We’ll go together,” Evelyn said firmly, gathering her coat. A retired nurse, a single mother who’d battled illness herself with a sick child, she understood that struggle instantly.
They hailed a taxi.
***
The intercom buzzed. “Who is it?” A small, sad voice asked.
“Emily? It’s Thomas.”
“Come up!”
The building door clicked open. The flat door was slightly ajar. Inside, a thin girl in a wheelchair watched them with sorrowful eyes. “Will you find my Mummy?”
“What’s her name?” Thomas asked quickly.
“Emma.”
“Surname?”
“Walker.”
“Hold on, Tom,” Evelyn gently cut in. Turning to Emily: “Sweetheart, are you hungry?”
“Yes. There was a fish finger… but I ate it yesterday.”
“Right, Tom,” Evelyn commanded. “Run to our usual shop. Get the things we get.”
“On it!” He dashed out.
***
When he returned, Evelyn was bustling in the kitchen. She unpacked his bags, laid the table swiftly.
After they ate, Thomas searched for the missing Mum. He pulled up the local news site, scanning yesterday’s incidents.
“Okay… Okay. Woman hit by a Ford Focus driver on Oxford Street. Victim in critical condition at St Thomas’ Hospital.”
He grabbed his phone, dialling. On the third ring, someone answered.
“Yes, we admitted a victim from Oxford Street yesterday. Critical condition. Still unconscious.”
“Her surname?”
“No ID or mobile found. Are you family?”
“Not… not quite yet…”
“Visit the…” the voice gave ward details.
“Got it. Coming now.”
He hung up, crouching beside Emily.
“Do you have a photo of Mum?”
“Yes!” She wheeled to a side table, pulling out an album. “Here’s us, taken not long ago.”
“Your Mum’s lovely!” Thomas photographed it with his phone, offering Emily a reassuring smile. “Going to find her now.”
***
Her eyes opened. A white ceiling. Consciousness trickled back. The image of a speeding car flashed…
She tried to move. Pain jarred through her body. A nurse approached softly. “Awake?”
Emma’s eyes widened in pure horror. “How long have I been here?”
“Two days.”
“My daughter… she’s alone in the flat…”
“Emma, easy!” The nurse rested a calming hand on her shoulder. “A young man came yesterday. Left his phone for you. Said your mobile was crushed.”
“I need to call…”
“Now!” The nurse tapped the screen near an entry labelled ‘Daughter’, holding the phone to Emma’s ear.
“Mummy!” The voice was pure sunshine.
“Emily! My darling, how are you?”
“Brilliant! Gran Evelyn and Uncle Tom have been helping.”
“Uncle Tom?”
“Patient, please remain calm!” A doctor’s sharp voice cut through. “Or I confiscate that phone. Examination time!”
“Darling, I’ll ring back!” Emma managed before the call ended. The nurse slipped the phone into her pocket as the doctor took charge. After the examination, instructions flew, an IV drip was set up.
When the doctor left, Emma whispered, “Please… one more minute with my daughter?”
“Doctor forbids agitation,” the nurse sighed, but relented, redialling.
“Darling…”
“Emma?” A gentle, unfamiliar woman’s voice answered. “It’s Evelyn. Listen. My son found your broken mobile. Tracked down Emily. I’m retired. I
The cool morning air brushed against Julia’s cheeks as she squeezed her father Konstantin’s warm hand, the imposing school gates swinging open before them, welcoming her into a world brimming with ordinary, wonderful possibility.
Left Behind Alone
